Corona del Mar’s Offense Stalls Again

Corona del Mar searched for some offense but failed to discover much Friday as the Sea Kings lost to Pomona, 18-0, at Newport Harbor High.

Corona del Mar’s top offensive performance came from senior running back Grant Estabrook, who had 77 yards in 23 carries. But his biggest gains, which were for 14 and 16 yards, came in the closing seconds of the first half and the game.

Five fumbles didn’t help Corona del Mar, which lost, 28-7, to Marina in the opening week.

“I wish I had something to say but the offense wasn’t very good,” Corona del Mar Coach Dick Freeman said.

Actually, the Sea Kings did have a couple of chances to score.

They started the second half down, 6-0, but put together a promising drive that reached the Pomona 21. Estabrook had 23 yards during the drive and quarterback Matt Moore added 19 on a slick end-around.

But the drive stalled and the Sea Kings lined up to attempt a field goal. The snap was mishandled and Pomona took over on downs.

Corona del Mar defensive back Charlie Alshuler had a fourth-quarter interception that he returned 43 yards to the Pomona 17. The Sea Kings were down, 12-0, and there was 7 minutes 40 seconds left in the game at that point.

But on third down, Moore was sacked by linebacker Mario Del Valle for a loss of five yards and Del Valle forced Moore to throw early and incomplete on fourth down.

“We had our opportunities,” Freeman said. “There were guys running free in the secondary, but if you don’t get them the ball it doesn’t make any difference.”

Pomona quarterback Oscar Schwenke threw for three touchdowns and 119 yards.